First described by Giuseppe Inzenga in 1863 as “the most delicious mushroom of the Sicilian mycological flora”, Pleurotus nebrodensis remains today a prized species , especially in the Mediterranean. Pleurotus nebrodensis was sought after since ancient times as a delicious mushroom in the Madonie mountains of Sicily. Tourists and local people can appreciate the organoleptic qualities of the mushrooms in restaurants where delicious cuisine are prepared with raw or cooked mushrooms. However, its appearance and numbers are declining in nature and this species has been categorized as ‘CR’ (Critically Endangered) according to IUCN Red List Criteria. In situ conservation action for this fungus is being carried out thanks to rules issued by the Madonie Park administration prohibiting its collection as well as inoculation of roots of the associated plant C. ferulacea with grain mycelia of P. nebrodensis in the hope of increasing mushroom fructification in the wild. Ex situ conservation of P. nebrodensis has also started and involves cultivation of the mushroom in special farms in the hope of reducing collecting pressures on the species in the wild. Ex situ cultivation of P. nebrodensis also provides additional income for local farmers, who can offer a more economical product than that collected from the wild, and this in turn reduces pressure on the wild population. This e-book is an excellent resource for amateur and professional mycologists for learning scientific information about the family Pleurotaceae with particular reference to the taxonomic group “Pleurotus on Apiaceae plants” and the “Pleurotus eryngii species-complex” and is also suitable for university students for useful insights in botany, microbiology, mycology, agronomy, and forestry. Pleurotus Nebrodensis: A Very Special Mushroom also gives both general and specialized readers a glimpse into the selected history of mycology, folk traditions, preservation of biodiversity, sustainable development, information on mushroom cultivation techniques and alternative sources of income associated with this intriguing mushroom species.

Ypt/Rab GTPases form the largest branch of the Ras-related small GTPase superfamily and regulate intracellular membrane trafficking in all eukaryotes. Since their discovery over two decades ago, a wealth of information has accumulated about the roles that Ypt/Rab proteins play in vesicular transport steps, including vesicle budding, movement, and fusion. In recent years, Ypt/Rab GTPases and membrane trafficking have been discovered to play an important role in other cellular processes, such as signal transduction, cell growth and differentiation. Additionally, Rab GTPases have been implicated in various human diseases, ranging from diabetes to cancer. This e-book provides a timely update on the rapidly developing field and discusses all functional aspects of Ypt/Rab GTPases. The 12 chapters cover well-characterized Ypts/Rabs involved in both exocytic and endocytic pathways as well as newly identified and uncharacterized Rab GTPases. A comprehensive picture about how each Ypt/Rab controls multiple vesicular trafficking steps via interactions with multiple effectors is conveyed to the reader’s mind. This e-book is the first ever volume focused on the Ypt/Rab GTPases and should provide a useful resource for researchers, students and teachers interested in the field.

Rare Animals of India is a unique book that presents the biological and ecological accounts of the least known animal species of India in one comprehensive volume. The book gives comprehensive ecological accounts supported with data tables on rare and specific animal species of India and discusses the basis for their rarity for their conservation. It includes information about the Indian Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) the endangered Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti), the Bengal Marsh Mongoose, Snow Leopards and many more. Readers are guided through several chapters each detailing a specific kind of animal, some of them being on the list of endangered species. With over 150 color illustrations, this intriguing reference will be of immense interest to zoologists, ecologists, naturalists and conservation biologists as well as general readers across the world interested in studying such rare or least known animals found in the length and breadth of the Indian region.

Heavy metal pollution represents a global challenge to both public health and environmental sustainability. Any means to reduce heavy metal pollution in the environment is of considerable economic significance. The use of green plants to clean up heavy metal pollution is an environmentally friendly as well as a low-cost approach to the problem. This plant-based biotechnology is commonly known as ‘phytoremediation’. Presently, there is limited application of this technology because useful plants with enhanced heavy metal resistance/tolerance are still needed to assist remediation of environments polluted with heavy metals. A key to improved phytoremediation of heavy metal pollution lies in research seeking for a better understanding of the mechanism(s) of heavy metal resistance/tolerance in plants. This E-book presents a unique treatment of the topics that have never been comprehensively brought together before in a single advanced reference. The volume explores aspects of plant biology that are critical for employing phytoremedation techniques to combat heavy metal contamination such as the specific plant biology, seed biology, plant tissue culture and enzymology. This E-book will be a useful reference to plant biologists, biotechnologists and environmental engineers seeking information about phytoremediation of heavy metals from the environment.

Recent Trends in Livestock Innovative Technologies explores the most recent developments and developing trends in the livestock farming industry. The book delves into the application of innovative technologies in various aspects of livestock production, management, and health through edited chapters. The book starts with an outline of the difficulties the livestock sector faces and the necessity for technological solutions to these difficulties. Subsequent chapters cover innovations in this area. Key topics include: Advances in genetics and breeding methods: Contributing authors stress the possible impact of issues like marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and gene editing on the future of animal breeding. Precision livestock farming: The use of sensor technologies, data analytics, and automation to monitor and control livestock production systems more effectively. The authors examine how these technologies enable real-time monitoring of environmental variables, animal activity, and health, which enhances production, animal welfare, and resource use. The management of feed and nutrition in livestock production: The book explores cutting-edge feed formulations, precise feeding systems, and alternative feed sources that can increase feed efficiency, lessen negative effects on the environment, and improve animal health. Fresh methods for illness prevention and management, such as the use of vaccines, diagnostics, and biosecurity measures. Social and ethical issues related to the adoption of cutting-edge livestock technologies. The authors attempt to give a fair assessment of the advantages and drawbacks of these technologies, and address concerns about animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and public perception of current farming practices. Recent Trends in Livestock Innovative Technologies is an informative resource for researchers, professionals, and policymakers interested in staying up-to-date with the advancements and future directions of the livestock industry.

Software and Programming Tools in Pharmaceutical Research is a detailed primer on the use for computer programs in the design and development of new drugs. Chapters offer information about different programs and computational techniques in pharmacology. The book will help readers to harness computer technologies in pharmaceutical investigations. Readers will also appreciate the pivotal role that software applications and programming tools play in revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry. The book includes nine structured chapters, each addressing a critical aspect of pharmaceutical research and software utilization. From an introduction to pharmaceutical informatics and computational chemistry to advanced topics like molecular modeling, data mining, and high-throughput screening, this book covers a wide range of topics. Key Features: - Practical Insights: Presents practical knowledge on how to effectively utilize software tools in pharmaceutical research. - Interdisciplinary Approach: Bridges the gap between pharmaceutical science and computer science - Cutting-Edge Topics: Covers the latest advancements in computational drug development, including data analysis and visualization techniques, drug repurposing, pharmacokinetic modelling and screening. - Recommendations for Tools: Includes informative tables for software tools - Referenced content: Includes scientific references for advanced readers The book is an ideal primer for students and educators in pharmaceutical science and computational biology, providing a comprehensive foundation for this rapidly evolving field. It is also an essential resource for pharmaceutical researchers, scientists, and professionals looking to enhance their understanding of software tools and programming in drug development.

This comprehensive ebook covers all the aspects of ADME/PK modeling including solubility, absorption, formulation, metabolic stability, drug-drug interaction potential and a special delivery tool of drug candidates. The book provides an integrated view of fundamental ADME issues and challenges in early drug development from the aspect of practicing drug researchers. It also provides valuable help for the medicinal chemist in the process of multiple optimization.

Thermodynamics and kinetics (i.e., chemical interactions) are extremely important concepts for pharmaceutical scientists to understand since the “drug selection process”, that is, the process used by pharmaceutical companies to discover and develop marketable drugs, is totally dependent upon these theories. While both theories are important, kinetic models describing complex chemical and biological processes provide a unifying theory for all phases of the discovery and development of drugs. Unfortunately, in most textbooks the mathematical descriptions necessary to develop a deeper understanding of kinetic models are omitted. This is primarily done such that the underlying chemistry and biochemistry principles are not obscured by the “mathematical maze” that is generated from these models. As a result many chemists and biologists veer rapidly away from thermodynamics and kinetics. For some scientists, this can lead to confusion on how to apply these models to real-life situations. For example, many enzyme kinetic models are formulated as rate equations. Since experimentally measurements typically determine concentrations and rarely determines rates directly, confusion arises on how to apply kinetic models. In this case, either the model is integrated to give a description of the concentration course of the enzyme reaction or the data is differentiated (i.e., the process of determining rates) by measuring tangents to the reaction curves at zero time. The level of mathematical skills required to solve kinetic models is minimal for anyone who has studied college level algebra and calculus. Thus, the objective of this book is to present a brief review of thermodynamics and kinetics followed by a detailed step-by-step approach in developing and solving kinetic models for complex chemical and biological processes. The book focuses on building a solid mathematical foundation of enzyme kinetic models by systematically evolving simple uni- and bi-molecular models to enzyme models. Applications for some of these kinetic models are generated from pharmaceutical examples and a selection of problems is presented at the end of each chapter. This elementary approach has been intentionally selected to keep the book at a self-explanatory level. It is anticipated that the reader will be able to follow the mathematical operations and in the process develop a deeper understanding of kinetic models and an improved ability to interpret kinetic parameters. The book is restricted to solution chemical kinetics and does not deal with the theories of chemical reactions, gas-phase reactions, experimental kinetic methods and so on. There are many excellent chemical kinetic textbooks available for those interested in these topics. The solution chemical kinetics materials for the book were obtained from literature papers and several books on physical chemistry and enzyme kinetics. The ideas from these sources have been hopefully reinterpreted in a style that is well matched to those pharmaceutical scientists that do not have a comprehensive knowledge of kinetic models and the mathematical skills to solve them. Chapter 1 presents a general overview to thermodynamic and kinetic principals and theory. In Section i, an overview to the scope of the book is presented. A brief review of mathematical fundamentals used in the book (Section ii) and kinetic and thermodynamic principals are present (Section iii and iv). A glossary of symbols and abbreviation used throughout the book is presented in Section v. Chapter 2 describes the basic theory of first-order kinetic models. These types of mathematical models are used for irreversible (Section I) and reversible (Section II) rearrangement reactions and some examples are presented to illustrate their applications to drug discovery. Chapter 3 describes second-order irreversible (Section III) and reversible (Section IV) dimerization reactions while Chapter 4 describes second-order irreversible (Section V) and reversible (Section VI) binding reactions. Chapter 5 describes partially and fully coupled reversible completive binding reactions (Section VII). Chapter 6 describes second-order kinetic models that are used to analyze consecutive irreversible (Section VIII) and reversible (Section IX) substrate suicide enzyme reactions. Chapter 7 describes kinetic models that are used to analyze consecutive irreversible (Section X) and reversible (Sections XI and XII) enzyme reactions. Chapter 8 describes kinetic models that are used to analyze consecutive reversible inhibition enzyme reactions (Section XIII - XVI). Chapter 9 describes kinetic models that are used to analyze substrate (Section XVII) and product inhibition (Section XVIII) enzyme reactions. The Appendix contains the answers to the problems.

Burns can cause life-threatening injury and the lengthy hospitalization and rehabilitations required in burn therapy lead to higher healthcare costs. The risk of infection has also been one of the important concerns of burn wound management. The purpose of the burn wound care management is speedy wound healing and epithelization to limit the infection. The topical application of therapeutic agents is quintessential for the longevity of patients having significant burns. In recent times, research on herbal medicine for burn wound management has been vastly increased because of their safer toxicological profiles in contrast to synthetic medicines. Despite the promising therapeutic potential of herbal medicines in this area, herbal medications have some limitations which include low pharmacological activity, solubility and stability. Nanotechnology-based smart drug delivery approaches which involve the use of small molecules as nanocarriers, however, can help to overcome these biopharmaceutical challenges. This book provides an overview of plant-mediated metallic nanoparticulate systems and nanophytomedicine based therapeutic treatment modalities for burn wound lesions. Nine chapters deliver updated information about nanomedicines for burn wound therapy. Contributions are written by experts in nanomedicine and phytomedicine and collectively cover the pathophysiology of wound lesions, current and future outlook of nanomedicine based treatments for burn wound lesions, the role of biocompatible nanomaterials in burn wound management, plant-mediated synthesis of metal nanoparticles for treating burn wound sepsis, phytomedicine based nanoformulations and the phyto-informatics models involved in the wound healing process which are used to select appropriate nanotherapeutic agents. This reference serves as an accessible source of information on the topic of nanomedicine for burn treatments for all healthcare professionals (medical doctors, nurses, students trainees) and researchers in allied fields (pharmacology, phytomedicine) who are interested in this area of medicine.

This book is a comprehensive review of secondary metabolite production from plant tissue culture. The editors have compiled 12 meticulously organized chapters that provide the relevant theoretical and practical frameworks in this subject using empirical research findings. The goal of the book is to explain the rationale behind in vitro production of secondary metabolites from some important medicinal plants. Biotechnological strategies like metabolic engineering and the biosynthesis, transport and modulation of important secondary metabolites are explained along with research studies on specific plants. In addition to the benefits of secondary metabolites, the book also aims to highlight the commercial value of medicinal plants for pharmaceutical and healthcare ventures. Topics covered in this part include: 1. In vitro propagation and tissue culture for several plants including Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, Aloe vera, Oroxylum indicum (L) Kurz, Ocimum basilicum L, Rhubarb, Tea, and many others (including plants in Northern India). 2. Genetic Improvement of Pelargonium 3. Bioactive Components in Senna alata L. Roxb 4. Plant tissue culture techniques The book caters to a wide readership. It primarily prepares graduate students, researchers, biotechnologists, giving them a grasp of the key methodologies in the secondary metabolite production. It is a secondary reference for support executives, industry professionals, and policymakers at corporate and government levels to understand the importance of plant tissue culture and maximizing its impact in the herbal industry.